B&B Electronics

[Highland Controls]

I just found out that B&B Electronics has been bought by Advantech. I haven't done much with B&B in recent years, but they used to be my go-to comms supplier. Always had great tech support. Even told me how to alter serial card to get non-standard baud rates. Just this week I had some pre-sales technical questions. They now direct you to fill out an online form. They don't have the option of a phone call, though I didn't try to call the main number and ask for tech support. I got a call back about 24 hours later. Anyone have any recent experience with them? Advantech support has never impressed me.

 

[danw]

I hear the bugle playing taps for B&B. Taps is the anthem of the 'Growth by Acquisition' crowd. No reason to listen to the customers to see what they really want and then develop it when it's so easy to buy a successful business and ruin it.

What a shame. B&B was a great 'family owned' type business for so many years.

I worked for a large company where the 10 support people were summarily fired one Friday, out of the blue, not for cause but because the owners were making the bottom line look better for a sell-out. The company, once a major market player, is no longer in business.

It wouldn't surprise me if B&B's support guys are actually out of work.

The couple Advantech PCs that I bought needed to be returned to be configured the way they were ordered, but that was 15 years ago. I don't know if they've improved or not.

Dan

 

[diat150]

I have always had good lukc using advantechs IO modules. B&B has been great also. One can only hope that the merger works because both were good companies.

 

[BobB]

Happened quite a while ago - go to Advantech for online chat all good.

 

[Highland Controls]

Online chat can be nice sometimes, but when a company stops publishing a tech support phone number then I get worried.

 

[BobB]

I guess the tech support is now with Advantech - go to online chat and ask. I generally find it pretty good. I may add that I was looking for and Advantech Ethernet/SC fibre converter - they used to carry then in Australia. They did not even have them in Taiwan - had to settle on ST which was available in Taiwan. Interestingly enough the B&B stuff is all listed in their online catalogue - perhaps they are replacing some of their own stuff with B&B? Shame if they are - the Adam stuff is great and can be stacked to save space. It also works well and is seamless. The B&B stuff is also good but just not as convenient in a panel sometimes as the Adam.